1st Edition

Parity Nonconservation in Atomic Phenomena

By I.B. Khriplovich Copyright 1991
    328 Pages
    by CRC Press

    This book discusses things which are, at first sight, absolutely unrelated. What can elementary particle interactions and tunable dye-lasers, T-invariance and Doppler broadening of spectral lines, the hyperfine structure of bismuth and parity nonconservation have in common? In recent years, however, a new direction in physics research has emerged, within the framework of which these notions proved to be closely related. We mean the study of weak interactions of elementary particles by methods of atomic spectroscopy.

    Preface, List of Symbols, 1 The general structure of weak electron-nucleon interactions, 2 Qualitative consideration of parity nonconservation effects in atoms, 3 The hydrogen atom, 4 Calculation of the mixing of opposite-parity levels in heavy atoms, 5 Optical highly forbidden M l transitions in heavy atoms, 6 Optical activity of heavy-metal vapours. General considerations and calculations, 7 Observation of optical activity of heavy-metal vapours, 8 P-odd nuclear forces — another source of parity violation in atoms, 9 What else can be discovered about weak interactions from experiments with heavy atoms?, 10 Weak interactions and optical isomers, 11 Parity nonconservation in crystals,12 Weak interactions and low temperatures, 13 Searching for T-invariance violation in atoms and molecules, References, Addenda, Index

    Biography

    I. B. Khriplovich Institute of Nuclear Physics Novosibirsk, USSR Translated from the Russian by L. Ya. Yuzina.